The phone rang, forcing the carefully cultivated silence to disappear. I sighed staring at the phone with disdain. I knew who was calling and had been dreading this moment all day. I had rehashed our previous conversation in my mind and still found no solution. I took a moment to collect myself before picking up the phone. "They've agreed to let two people inside" I spoke directly. I knew he would want to get straight to the point. Formalities weren't needed unless there were witnesses. "Two! Just two," an angry voice rang out from the other side "they are lucky we are giving them a choice. We should just send the army, I don't trust them." "They agreed to support the crown," I said slo
Travel to the pack had been relatively uneventful. It wasn't until we were at the borders that we ran into delays. We expected the security to be intense from being isolated for so long and they delivered. There were at least three checkpoints with menacingly large guards who seemed to get bigger the closer to the centre of the pack we got. I couldn’t see them but could feel eyes from the woods following our car as we drove. Dante and I tried bantering with some of the guards, but their seriousness would put the Buckingham palace to shame. “Like talking to brick walls” I quipped to Dante, as we drove past the last checkpoint, making light of the situation. The Alpha wanted to show his power that much was clear. Alpha’s always made a big show when I visited. Male wolves always
"I am" She stated. I stood with my mouth open. She looked annoyed at my silence. "I am Alpha Fiona Kerian of the Crescent Moon pack".A female Alpha! I had never heard of a female Alpha. Alphas were meant to be males and Lunas were meant to be the female mate of an Alpha. Every pack I knew worked that way. Most male wolves I knew were stubborn and wouldn't accept a female as a leader. They would say that it was breaking tradition. Those with extreme views would say that even warriors should be male, arguing that a female's place was to sire and raise wolves. Those ideas were slowly changing across the country, but some packs with older Alpha's held firm to their sense of tradition, fearing being displaced as packs moved into the modern era. While I was tak
"Mate" Blaze screamed again. I could feel him pushing for control. It took all my strength to hold him back and maintain composure. It felt as though he was clawing up my insides in a frenzy, desperately trying to come forward and see his mate for himself. I gritted my teeth, making eye contact with Fiona. She was smiling, but it was a political sort of smile. She didn't seem to react to my touch the way I reacted to hers. If she felt the mate bond she hid it well. I managed to bite my tongue, not trusting myself to speak. Question after question ran through my head. She moved on to the next topic, casually dropping my hand and turning to walk up the steps while speaking. I stared tight-lipped as she did so. I couldn't help but watch how her body move as she walked up those stairs.&nb
"What?" Dante asked sitting down on a large plush couch in the room after I told him that Fiona was my mate. Dante had a concerned look on his face and fired question after question at me. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't she say anything?" His knee was bouncing up and down with enough force to drill a hole in the ground. It was one of his nervous ticks. I paced around the room and thought about why I hadn't said anything. It was a large room and looked like it came straight from a magazine. The room was mostly white with natural colours and dried flowers spotted through the room. There was a bay window overlooking a garden and several doors led to unknown places. I would have to explore the room later. "I don't know" I admitted finally. It shook me, I was always so confid
*Fiona*"Well, that went as well as I could hope," I said sitting on the couch in my office placing my legs across David. I was not happy that the King had managed to worm his way into the pack, but at least we were ready to take him on. This might also prove useful for me to gather information on the King. I was naturally distrustful, but even so, something about the King just seemed off to me. Not that would tell Alpha Astor or his Beta that. Skylah was pacing inside me, which made me nervous. She only got that way when big things were about to happen. She had a sixth sense about things, although they were always feelings and never anything concrete. I was left to guess why. This time I chalked it up to nervous excitement for David's birthday tomorrow. David spoke; his words kept me from wandering off with my thoughts.
*Cyrus*"She's late" I mind-linked Dante at the dinner table. Normally Dante and I would joke about our insatiable appetites. Werewolves had high metabolisms and could eat a lot, but Dante and I, well even for a werewolf, ate a lot. The Omega who stocked our kitchen in the Golden Moon packhouse learned that my idea of a snack was more of a meal for a small family. After months of pulling his hair over how much we ate, he finally gave us a separate fridge, which we'd still clear out daily. Today was different though. All the food in front of me look delicious, the pack had done their homework and had a lot of my favourites. Yet, I couldn't find my appetite. I pushed around a piece of brisket on my plate, not wanting to be rude. "Dinner has barely started" Dante replied via mind-link. 
*Cyrus*Everyone was quiet for a moment, looking at the ground. Fiona inhaled deeply, the anger clearing from her face. When she spoke it was in a neutral tone."This garden honours her legacy and reminds us what happens when a pack is run with greed." She said it with finality, shutting the book on the conversation. "Let me show you the inside of the community centre," quickly shifting focus back to the tour. "We offer classes for pack members who want to learn new skills. We teach everything from art courses, trades and courses to help pack members who wish to attend university. It is all run by volunteers from the pack who want to support growth and wellbeing. Normally it's older pack members looking to explore new horizons, but we will get some high schoolers who want to study something beyond what is offered at the school."
*Fiona*“Mate.” The words rang through my head. Cyrus was my mate. I felt that I had finally let go of a breath I had been holding since his arrival, realising only now that I had even been holding my breath. “Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked. I wasn’t angry, at the fact he hadn’t told me, just curious about why he didn’t. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done,” he said embracing me tightly like he was afraid I was going to run away. “I didn’t know how you would react. After what happened with David I didn’t want to put you in the same situation.” I thought about it for a moment. Would I have believed Cryus had he told me? At first, no. The past couple of days I felt like I knew, but refused to fully accept it for fear I was wrong. “I think you made the right choice,” I said after reflecting on it.Cyrus lifted my head to his and pulled me into a kiss. With the mate bond now in place, it was more electric than ever. Pleasurable sparks danced across my lips a
*Fiona*“Where are we going?” Cyrus asked as he followed me into the forest behind the packhouse garden. I could feel he was on edge as we wandered into the forest “It’s vulnerable out here.”“There are patrols out” I reassured him “They will know where I am and keep watch.” Cyrus had tripled check all of our security measures, so he knew how many wolves would be out on guard. Still, he didn’t look convinced.“You’ll see.” I tried reassuring him again. “I have a tradition on the eve of my birthday. Something I want to show you.” I sushed him when he asked what we were going to do. “We need to be quiet, to get in the right headspace,”
*Fiona*I woke up the next morning to Cryus watching me closely.“Good morning,” he said drawing me closer for a cuddle. I was enveloped in his scent and Skylah immediately started egging me on, sending graphic images of what she would like to do to Cyrus. I ignored her as best as I could, there was too much to do today.“Cyrus we need to get ready,” I whined, “the next pack will be here soon.” I started to feel my anxiety come forward. It was only one day before my birthday. I wondered what that meant for Cyrus and myself. I pushed the feeling down, I would worry about that tomorrow. Today I had to think about the other pack arriving. Hopefully, everything with the new packs arr
*Fiona*My head was reeling at all the information that was flying at me. I had never thought much about my mother’s family. They had never been mentioned growing up. Now that I knew they were family, it was obvious why they had looked so familiar. Every time I looked at Alpha Thomas or Luna Shae I would see traits that reminded me of my mother. At first, it was the eyes, but as the evening wore on I also realised there was more. Shae carried herself in the same way my mother had, light as a feather. I saw my brother's smouldering looks in Thomas’ eyes. Shae’s voice was even light like my mother's when she comforted me. I felt pain for her loss, but from that pain, something new was growing. I felt a cautious excitement to get to know this new family, hoping that they might hel
*Fiona*Standing on the steps of the packhouse waiting to greet the new pack, reminded me how little time had passed since I had greeted Cyrus in the same fashion. I remember how nervous I had been and how much I had wanted to prove myself. While I still felt like I was trying to prove myself, I was more assured and less nervous, this time around. I hoped that this time things wouldn't be turned upside down, as I was still processing all the changes that had happened in the past few days. I felt like a different person, with Cyrus, more reckless. I couldn't bring myself to see it as a bad thing."Who are we dealing with?" Cyrus asked taking a place next to me.
*Cyrus*When I awoke I was struck by a momentary panic, by the lack of Fiona's presence in bed. I nearly jumped out of bed, when I saw her sitting quietly on a couch engrossed in a book. I took a breath. When did I become so anxious? Normally I was fairly level headed, but ever since the threats against Fiona, everything seemed to be a threat. Fiona was my weakness, but I couldn't bring myself to see it as a bad thing.I watched her sitting on the couch reading. Her legs were propped up on one of the arms, making them look longer as her shorts rode up, nearly invisible under her large tee shirt. I could hear Blaze making some suggestions on how we should start the morning. I had been hesitant with Fiona so far, holding back. She was pushing me though, as she become more comfortable exploring. I would hold back for her until she was ready.&
*Fiona*I sat in my office chair, processing what Andre had said, staring at the wrapped gift on the table. When Andre had left, Cyrus walked me back to the packhouse, hand on the small of my back the whole way. As we enter my office, I could see him finally relax and take a breath. He sat across from my desk staring at the gift with much more suspicion than I."I mean it's so unlikely that I would find a mate the day of my birthday," I commented. The end of our conversation with Andre ran through my head."David did..." Cyrus commented, "You just might." There was something in his tone that caused me to look up at him. An emotion flitted across his eyes so quickly that I questions whether I had really seen it."You mean, like from one of the packs invited?" I thought out loud "I guess it's more likely if there are more wolves ar
*Fiona*The garden behind the packhouse was even lusher than the garden at the community centre. It held many different flowering plants while the community centre was more food-based. Rows of roses lined the path and lavender plants filled in empty spaces in the gardens, attracting a number of butterflies. It was a favourite spot of mine in the pack. The first thing I did when I became Alpha was to restore all the pack gardens to their former glory. The few memories I had with my mothers were of her gardening. Being here made me feel close to her, even years after her death.Cyrus and I sat in a white gazebo on the edge of the garden, watching the sunset over the packhouse. The hues in the sky complimented the colours of the blo
*Cyrus*When I woke up to Fiona in my arm, I thought I must still be dreaming. I didn't move for fear that when she woke it would all come crashing down. I watched her sleeping peacefully in awe, so delicate yet so strong. Never had I met someone who overcame so much without being jaded to the world. I debated whether or not to tell her I was her mate. Although her birthday was only a few days away the wait was proving torturous.I need to go at her pace though. I was devasted when she wanted to keep the events that transpired between us a secret, I want to shout to the world that we belonged to each other. Yet I would see in her eyes that she was still unsure about me. I didn't want to push and risk losing her so I agreed. It was difficult, as my body called out for hers. After last night, I was sure her body called out for mine as well.It proved m